fitch



(No Model.)

W. H. FITCH.

RAIL JOINT.

No. 596,934. Patented Jan. 4,1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT twice.

'IVALTER H. FITCH, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,934, dated January4, 1898.

Application filed February 6, 1897. $erial No. 622,343. (No model.)

.To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVALTER H. FITCH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the State of Indiana, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide a rail-joint for steam andstreet railway rails in that class of joints known as suspended jointsthat is simple in its parts, easily and cheaply constructed, possessingan elasticity and strength about equal to the solid unbroken rail, sothat a moving load passing over the same will produce the same wave ofdeflection at the joint as it does elsewhere on the solid rail, and toreduce to the minimum the alternating vertical motion of the ends of therails in a joint under the action of a movingload, and a means ofadjustment by which any looseness in the fitting of the various parts ofthe joint whether from defective manufacture or from wear can be fullytaken up and all parts he broughtinto their full hearing and properaction.

The peculiar form of the splicebars and the supporting and adjustingkeys and the manner of application and operation will be more fullyhereinafter described.

Figure 1 represents a side view or elevation of a portion of twoordinary T-rails joined by my device. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional Viewof the T-rail and splice-bars and the supporting and adjusting keys onthe line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View of an ordinarystreet-railway rail and my device with a modified form of the lowersupporting and adjusting key, taken upon a line similar to 2 2, Fig. 1.

It is a matter of common knowledge among those skilled in railwayconstruction that the splicebars in general use are not equal to thetask of preserving a perfect alinement of the rails and that they aredeficient in strength to resist a transverse strain as compared with thesolid rail and that they frequently fracture at a point about oppositethe line of j unction of the rails. At each joint a space is leftbetween the ends of the rails to accommodate expansion longitudinally.As the car-wheel passes along the rail and approaches the end of therail in the joint it is depressed and is thus forced out of alinementwith the adjoining rail, which the wheel strikes with a pounding sou nd,flattening and greatly damaging the same. XVhen the entire joint alsosettles down under the load through weal;- ness of the joint-fastenings,the hammer-blow and its destructiveness are also increased.

As the car-wheel approaches the point of junction of two rails joinedwith the common angle-bars the head of the loaded rail hears upon theupper edge of the angle-bar, which transfers the strain obliquelydownward and forward to the foot or flange of the adjoining rail, beingmost severe as the wheel reaches the extreme end of the rail. Theinstant the wheel passes to the adjoining rail the strain on the joint,while most severe, is instantly shifted. The wear and hammering of thesurfaces in contact cause great wear upon the under side of the head ofthe rails, extending three or four inches from their ends, and a likewear on the corresponding portions of the angle-bars until a V-shapedopening develops, with its widest part at the extreme ends of the rails.W'hen in this con dition, an increased alternate vertical motion of therails occurs and accelerates its destruction. No amount of tightening upof the securing-bolts which pass through the stem of the rail cancompensate for the material that has Worn away. This action of the loadand strains is equally true of all forms of joints which support therail alone by a section of material interposed between the head andflange of the rail, regardless of the ultimate strength of the jointitself.

Joints which support the base of the rails and transfer the joint-loadupon the adjoining cross-ties must of necessity acquire what everrigidity and strength they possess from the condition of the cross-tiesand the ballast and have been found defective and unsatisfactory inpractice. In joints where part of the joint-load is received from thehead of the rail part from the base of the rail, and part from theadjoining cross-ties it has been found to be impracticable to keep theseveral parts in such condition as will cause them to perform theirseveral functions in perfect harmony with each other, resultingin anequally unsatisfactory and deficient service.

In the drawings Figs. 1 and 2, A A represent the ends of two ordinaryT-rails as now used on steam-roads.

0 represents the splice-bar, the upper part of which 0 C resemblessomewhat in form the common angle-splice, one of which is used on eachside of the rail, which are secured to the rails A and A by the usualbolts ]3,which pass through the usual holes in the stem of the rails Aand A. The splice-bar has a depending vertical or nearly vertical flange0 formed integral with the upper portion,which is provided with theopening F to receive the supporting and adjusting keys G and D. Thelower key D, when placed in position, rests at or near each end on theflat suface of the opening F and has depending vertical lugs D D whichprevent the spreading apart of the flanges C and prevent the key fromshifting out of its proper position, and also at one end has two upwardvertical lugs D separated, as shown in Fig. 1, to allow the freeinsertion of the threaded end of the upper key G.

Key D is thickest at the end having the lugs D and slopes uniformly tothe thinner end, upon which surface the upper key G fits and moves. Theupper key G is then inserted and is, in fact, a wedge having the samepitch as the lower key D, so that when in position the top surface ofkey G is at all times parallel with the lower surface of key D, Where itrests on the fiat seat of F in the splice-bars. It is then driven byhammer-blows until a proper tension of all the parts is secured.

The smaller end of the key G is threaded to receive an ordinarytrack-nut E, which is turned up solid against the lugs D to lock andsecure the wedge G in its position.

In adapting my invention to different forms of rails the onlymodification necessary in the form of the splice-bars is made in theupper portion of the same to correspond with the height and contour ofthe under side of the head of the rails to which it is to be applied, asshown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 3 the lower key D is shown in a modified form by increasing thestrength of the same by an increase of thickness formed integral, asshown at D so disposed as not to interfere with the closer adjustment ofthe splice-bars O and is in all other respects the same as key D inFigs. 1 and 2.

In practical use, after applying and adj usting the various parts asheretofore described, when the load comes upon the rail'at the joint theentire joint-load is imposed upon the top of key G, which has a fullbearing upon key D, which bears at its end upon the flat seats of theholes F in the splice-bars C. Both keys are usually made about twoinches wide and their combined thickness so proportioned,

usually near two inches, that they have an elastic limit between theirpoints of support about equal to that possessed by the solid railbetween supports two feet apart or some similar standard of test towhich the joint is to be applied. The load imposed on the seats of F inthe flanges G of the splice-bars is a transverse strain, but causes atensile strain throughout the flanges 0 which perform the functions ofunder trusses and transfer their strain to the upper part of thesplice-bar, (shown as G 0 which results in a compressive strainthroughout 0 C which equalizes itself and comes to rest, with the finalresult that the load is uniformly and equally distributed the entirelength of the-splice bars. 7

The seat of F, which is subject to wear, is made broad to offer a largerbearing-surface to key D. The portion of 0 below the seat of F andthroughout the flange G is proportioned to carry as a truss the loadimposed by the keys G D. The upper part of 0 (shown as O 0 is especiallydesigned and disposed to withstand a compressive strain and a tendencyto spring away from the rail at its ends caused by the load imposed bythe trusses C To illustrate the great advantage of the peculiar shape ofthe splice'bar, as shown in the drawings, it has been found that injoints like these below the base-line of the rail, but like the commonangle-bar above that line, when tested to destruction by transversestrain the splice-bars would spring away from the rail at their ends andin some cases to rupture the end-securing bolts and also to havecompressed longitudinally near the center of the splice-bars and on ornear a vertical line from the base-line of the rail to its point ofcontact with the head of the rail, the compression being least at thebase-line of the rail and greatest at its point of contact with the headof the rail.

It is well known that the common anglebar cannot be widened at itsextreme top line without forming'an obstruction to the flanges ofcar-wheels. I therefore have widened out my splice-bar at C, Figs. 1 and2, at the highest point not to interfere with the flanges of car-wheelsand have thereby increased the area of metal at the most essential pointto Withstand compressive strain, and I have also moved the verticalportion, through which the securing-bolts B pass, farther from the stemof the rail and more in direct line with the strain received from theunder truss C and thereby reducing the tendency in the splicebar tospring away from the rail and also to form a section of metal, as shownat 0 G with projections extending toward the stem of the rail whichextend the entire length of the splice-bar and which act as ribs sodisposed as best to withstand any tendency of the splice-bar to springaway from the rail. Ample provision is made for longitudinal expansionand contraction of the rails in the usual manner by having the holes inthe splice bars made oblong, and the holes through the stem of the railare made ample to provide some space on either side of thesecuring-bolts. The key G is so constructed that it can be reversed andused either side up with equal elficiency to the joint and therebyserving the purpose of a new key should the key G ever become so worn orindented by contact with the base of the rails as to require a new key.The holes F in C are identical in size and form in both splice-bars andthe keys may be inserted as desired from either side. uated that whenonce placed in position does not require to be held there and cannotshift out of its proper position while the key G is placed and adjusted.The splice-bar C, while not designed or intended to receive any loadsfrom the head of the rail, is so formed, however, that it will renderample service during a temporary absence of the keys G and D, whichmight occur at such times as the tracks were undergoing repairs.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with adjoining rail ends A A in a rail-joint havingcounterpart splicebars C each having an integral flange G extendingdownward vertically below the baseline of the rail, having at C aprojectingportion which extends the entire lengthof the splice-barengaging the under side of the head of the rail; and at 0 having a lowerprojecting portion which extends the entire length of the splice-barengaging the top side of the flange of the rail, and having the usualholes in the vertical part at C G registering with holes in the stem ofthe rail through which the bolts B are inserted; and having the openingF at about midway of the length of O in the flange to receive theadjusting and supporting keys G and D, the top of the opening F beingabove the baseline of rail when the splice-bars are applied andadjusted; and having the widened portion 0 at the base of F to'provide alarge wearing and bearing surface to key D; and the supporting andadjusting keys G and D; D having a bearing near its ends on the base ofthe opening F, and G having depending vertical lugs D D and two uprightvertical lugs D between which the threaded end of key G is free to passand having a wedge shape with a pitch to correspond with key G 3 and keyG which corresponds in pitch with key D, so that the top surface of keyG is at all times parallel with the lower surface of key D where itrests on the base of the opening F, the small The lower key D is soformed and sit-- end of key G being threaded and provided with a nut toscrew up against the lugs D to lock and secure key G in its position;and key G being movable upon key D in the direction of their length forthe purpose of adjusting the tension and bearings of the various partsof the rail-joint; and having the upper surface of key G engaging thebase of the rail and its lower surface engaging the upper surface of keyD, whose lower surface near its ends rests upon and engages the base ofthe openings F in (I -acting together to transfer the entire joint-loador so much as is imposed by the rails upon key G to the base of theopening F and flange G which flange 0 acts as an under trussintransferring the strain to the portion 0 C and G having an equalbearing upon the top side of the flange of the rail the entire length ofthe splice-bar substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a rail-joint the combination with the counterpart splice-bars C ofthe supporting and adjusting keys G and D D having a bearing near itsends on the base of F and having vertical depending lugs D D and twoupright vertical lugs D between which the threaded end of key G is freeto pass and against which the nut E running on the threaded endof key Gbears; and key D having an inclined surface or pitch from the end wherethe lugs D D are located to the end having lug D and having key G withan incline surface to correspond with key D and having a portion of itssmaller end threaded to receive nut E which when turned up engages thelugs D and the key G engaging the top surface of key D and the base ofthe rails to support the joint-load and adjust the bearing between thebase of the rails and the seat of F in O substantially as and for thepurpose described.

3. In a rail joint the combination with counterpart splicebars G and thesupporting and adjusting keys G and D; D having the upright verticallug-s D and key G having its smaller end threaded and extending betweenthe lugs 'D and having a lock-nut E to run on the same, to turn up andengage the lugs D to lock and prevent key G from leaving its positionsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER H. FITCH.

Witnesses JAMES C. FITCH, M. II. S. FITCH.

